"This is ridiculous. If Kevin Rudd wants to challenge the Prime Minister he should challenge now and get it over and done with otherwise he should just go back to being the member for Griffith and conduct his business in his own electorate."

Mr Chester also called for the tone of public debate to be lifted in regards to Julia Gillard.

"I believe we need to lay off the Prime Minister and the personal attacks," he said.

"It's not Australian to continue to comment in a vicious and personal manner about the Prime Minister. I think we need to focus on the policies, and I think the Australian people can learn a lot more about a dignified debate and I think the members in this place have to lead the way.

"As I have travelled throughout my electorate and in Western Australia I was disappointed to hear comments along the lines of we hope she doesn’t make it to the next election and I think it’s extremely sad for the Australian people and we’ve got to lay off the personal attacks."

Labor today had a three point bounce in its primary vote in the latest Newspoll to 34 per cent.

Julia Gillard also returned as preferred prime minister at 42 per cent over Tony Abbott’s 38 per cent.

But the issue of leadership still looms with the polling, published in News Limited’s The Australian, showing Labor's primary vote would be at an election winning position of 47 per cent if Mr Rudd was returned as the party's leader.

However, Newspoll CEO Martin O'Shannessy says the government faces a big task to win the September 14 election.

"Julia Gillard has had a number of bounces that haven't been sustained," he told Sky News.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Julia Gillard "governed in stunts" and accused her week-long trip to Western Sydney last week of being as such.

"The Prime Minister is in a panic room and she makes decision as if she is in a panic room," Mr Morrison said.

"She engages in sugar hit politics, there will be sugar hits but what the country needs is good policy."